Dear Christian Leader,

Last week, Jewish institutions in the state of Massachusetts - and by extension, Jewish people and those who support them - became a target of violence due to the publication of an interactive map showing the location of almost 500 organizations statewide that, according to the creators of the map, support the "colonization of Palestine."  The map was created by the "Mapping Project," and provides supposed links between Jewish institutions and a variety of others, including police, who are all accused of being white supremacists and colonizers. 

The Mapping Project calls its followers to confront "Zionists" through a "network of resistance," and supports "resistance in all its forms." The fact that this is an obvious encouragement of violence towards Jewish institutions is further demonstrated through the website's statement, "These entities exist in the physical world and can be disrupted in the physical world."

According to the Project's website, the purpose behind the map is to "reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them. Every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted."  And in case the goal is still not clear, these antisemitic activists state, "We hope people will use our map to help figure out how to push back effectively." In other words, use the map to locate "Zionist" institutions for the purpose of disrupting and dismantling them.

The ONLY reason there needs to be a map that provides the addresses of Jewish institutions is that the intent behind the Project is to disrupt and dismantle them in "the physical world," as stated on the website. There really is no ambiguity here!! This is nothing more than a call for physical action against Jews.

The Mapping Project is a manifestation of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement, which has long claimed to be a nonviolent effort to promote Palestinian rights by boycotting, divesting from, and sanctioning Israel. However, the reality is that from its very beginning, this hate-filled, antisemitic movement has sought the destruction of the Jewish State.

The BDS group headquartered in Boston has taken its anti-Israel efforts to a new low through its involvement in the Mapping Project, with its call to "dismantle" and "disrupt" Jewish institutions including schools, synagogues, charities, and communal organizations. The public school district of Newton, MA is also targeted because Newton has a Jewish population of approximately 30%.

Here is the map that BDS supporters are to use to - in the words of these activists - find Jewish institutions and "confront," "disrupt," and "push back effectively."

WORDS LIKE "DISMANTLE," "DISRUPT," and "CONFRONT" are ACTION VERBS.

THE COMBINATION OF THESE VERBS WITH THE PROVISION OF PHYSICAL LOCATIONS MEANS THAT THE MAPPING PROJECT IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN APPEAL FOR PHYSICAL ACTION AGAINST JEWS!

Christian leaders, this thinly-veiled call for violence against Jewish institutions - and by extension, everyone associated with them - is a call to action for us! We know from history that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. In particular, we learn from the tragic events of the Holocaust that there were far too few - Christians in particular - who were willing to do what was right to protect Jewish life in the face of great evil - evil that was propagated through the use of big lies - big lies just like the ones being spread now by the Mapping Project and BDS Movement.

Let us learn from the failures of those who have gone before and resolve to do whatever is necessary to stand with, and protect, Jewish people and institutions.

Speak up and counter lies and rewritten history whenever, wherever and however they manifest. 

The biblical, historical and archaeological record all attest to the fact that the land of Israel has been the Jewish homeland for thousands of years!

The Jews in Israel are NOT colonizers of a land that belongs to some other people! Rather, they have returned from exile to the land of their ancestors - their own land that, in spite of forced exile, has had a continuous Jewish presence for millenia!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Make a stand in the face of this blatant hatred. Those of you in MA, please call your elected officials and ask them to do what is necessary to protect Jewish individuals and institutions in the face of this very real threat to their safety. Thank you in advance for standing with us in opposition to this dangerous hate. Please call your senators and representatives today!

Senators

Elizabeth Warren: 617-565-3170

Ed Markey: 617-565-8519

Representatives

Jake Auchincloss: 617-332-3333

Katherine Clark: 617-354-0292

Bill Keating: 508-746-9000

Stephen Lynch: 617-428-2000

Jim McGovern: 508-831-7356

Seth Moulton: 978-531-1669

Richard Neal: 413-785-0325

Ayanna Pressley: 617-850-0040

Lori Trahan: 978-459-0101